Imputing Income – What Does That Mean?

A common scenario during the initiation of child support proceedings is as follows: My child’s Mother/Father quit their job, or switched from full-time employment to part-time employment. What happens to child support now?

Fla. Stat. § 61.30(2)(b) provides that “monthly income shall be imputed to an unemployed or underemployed parent if the unemployment/underemployment is found by the court to be voluntary on the parent’s part, absent a finding of physical or mental incapacity or other circumstances over which the parent has no control.

How Is Income Imputed?

If the Court finds the parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the parent’s income shall be determined by the following:

• The parent’s recent work history
• The parent’s occupational qualifications
• The income level within the community given the parent’s work history and qualifications.

If the parent fails to participate in a child support proceedings, income will be automatically imputed to the parent at the median income of year-round, full-time workers published by the United States Bureau of the Census.

However, to impute income higher than the median income, the party seeking to impute income must present evidence indicating that the unemployment/underemployment is voluntary, and identities the amount and source of the imputed income by providing information such as:

• Party’s education
• Party’s experience
• Party’s current licensure
• The geographic location of the party
• The parties’ time sharing schedule

The evidence presented must not be more than 5 years old and income cannot be imputed at a level a party has never earned in the past, unless the party was recently degreed, licensed, certified, relicensed, or decertified.

Did your co-parent recently change jobs? Are you considering a job change? Seek out the advice of Counsel before doing so to discuss the impact your job change may have on the calculation of child support. Call our office today for more information.